Is low cost DAC worth it?

I bought my son a Schiit Modi Multibit in December 2021 and I was astonished at how great it was. It had lots of drive and life- I would characterize the sound as exuberant. It was far better than any of my older dacs. $300!

Schiit is a great solution for this situation. After using Apple products for audio, I always recommend avoiding using a computer or similar device that is not dedicated to audio. The differences are obvious, and seems these devices will generate all kinds of little gaps and noises in the audio as they are trying to be a computer, not primarily an audio source. I own a few DACs including a Schiit Modius, SMAL SU-9, and a few devices with internal DAC including disc players, and my McIntosh MX122. The Schiit is well reviewed and a great value from a US company and sounds great. The SU-9 is also great just a few more features but sounds the same overall.

Simple solution. Eversolo DMP-A6. Read the reviews. Streamer, DAC and preamp. Duel 9038 PRO chips. Touchscreen with amazing album cover graphics. I’m shocked by how good it sounds and all that it does for $899. Darko.com just posted a new review by John Grandberg  

Hello tbick!  I'm currently using an SMSL M500. I have 8 dacs under $1000. Maybe I should have put all that $ into some expensive DAC. However . . . I hear very little difference between a $1000 Sony DAC/HPA and the SMSL models or the Dragonflies. Have very good amps, cables etc. The input cable you use to connect your DAC to some signal source DOES have a HUGE effect! That was shocking to me. As usual, different DACs reapond differently to a particular input cable. I have many cables and the best overall is Zavfino and comes from Canada. I can't see puttng $5k (even $2k!) into a DAC unless all your music is coming in that way. All this fuss about streaming is just a way to get access to a huge music library. The sound isn't as good as a good CD. If you have a computer, it can feed your Dac. You don't NEED a streamer unless you want the convenience it offers. Enjoy the Music! Happy listening.

The input cable you use to connect your DAC to some signal source DOES have a HUGE effect!

@boomerbillone Big +1 there!  I recently switched from a decent yet well-regarded budget digital cable to an Acoustic Zen MC2 (used), and WOW!!!  Night and day difference — not even in the same ballpark-level performance.

All this fuss about streaming is just a way to get access to a huge music library. The sound isn't as good as a good CD.

Well, here we’re just gonna differ. First, having access to a virtually unlimited music library, and much of it in high res, is not a small thing.  Second, it’s simply not true that CDs sound better.  Too many variables to address there, but they both can sound incredibly good when implemented well.

If you have a computer, it can feed your Dac. You don't NEED a streamer unless you want the convenience it offers. 

We’re gonna differ here too.  In general computers are an awful source for streaming music, and a dedicated streamer is almost always significantly better sound wise because of its lower noise floor and parts that are dedicated solely to maximizing sound quality and nothing else.  The prime reason for using a dedicated streamer is for far better sound quality, not convenience.